THE QUEEN TKIBE. 119 



allude. The notes in a former chapter on famous polled 

 cattle, and our remarks on the herd of Mr FuUerton, Ar- 

 dovie, convey details, so far as known, as to the breeding 

 and characters of Black Meg 766, and her daughter. Queen 

 of Ardovie 29, whose sire was Captain 97, bred by Mr 

 Sim, Panlathie. Mr M'Combie was present at the Ar- 

 dovie sale in 1844, and purchased a yearling heifer out of 

 Queen of Ardovie 29, that he afterwards called Queen 

 Mother 348, the name having been suggested by the con- 

 troversy then raging in reference to the Spanish marriages. 

 Queen Mother was after the celebrated bull, Panmure 51, 

 and the price paid for her was only £12, 10s. The cow 

 proved somewhat obstinate as a breeder. Mr Dixon, in 

 ' Field and Fern,' says : " As she turned from her few 

 first services, she was put for a penalty to draw wood, and 

 did all the ridging-up of thirty acres of turnips as well." 

 It was not till 1847 that she had her first calf. Queen 

 Mother gained numerous prizes at the national and local 

 shows, being, when thirteen years old, the second prize 

 cow in a very strong class at the Highland Society's meet- 

 ing at Inverness in 1856. She was then sold to Mr Bowie, 

 Mains of Kelly, and died on 20th August 1858, apparently 

 from old age. 



The ' Herd Book ' records four calves out of Queen 

 Mother— Lola Montes 208, Bloomer 201, Windsor 202, 

 and Victoria of Kelly 345. The first three were bred by 

 Mr M'Combie, and the last was bred by Mr Bowie after 

 he obtained the cow in 1856. In Mr M'Combie's book, 

 ' Cattle and Cattle-Breeders,' he enunciates opinions as to 

 breeding which it will be useful to quote here. " In-and- 

 in breeding," he says, " may be pursued for a time, until 

 the type is developed ; but to continue for any length of 

 time to breed in-and-in is not only against my experience, 

 but, I believe, against nature." In the breeding of these 

 three daughters of Queen Mother, the principle on which 

 Mr M'Combie proceeded is illustrated. He desired to 



